How To Make a Flax Egg

A step-by-step tutorial of how to make a flax egg, egg substitute for baking!

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Vegan

Cuisine: Vegan, Baking

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 Tbsp (7 g) flaxseed meal (ground raw flaxseed)

2 1/2 Tbsp (37 ml) water

Instructions

Add flaxseed meal and water to a dish and stir. Let rest for 5 minutes to thicken. Add to recipes in place of 1 egg.

It's not an exact 1:1 substitution in every recipe because it doesn't bind and stiffen during baking quite like an egg does. But I've found it to work incredibly well in pancakes, quick breads, brownies, muffins, cookies, and many other recipes.

Notes

*This is not my original recipe, but one I discovered on many vegan baking blogs and have since adapted for my own use.

In place of eggs in a quiche, I have seen that people use chickpea flour, water etc. So here we are talking a different egg replacer than flax eggs. Google “vegan quiche chickpea flour” and I am sure you’ll get a nice selection of recipes!

I guess it helps. I’ve used them in several recipes. But, not being smart here….seriously, if it doesn’t bind and stiffen, what does it do? Why do we use them and not just leave them out? In what way does the flax egg effect the end result? Thanks for answering.

It *does* bind and stiffen, just not exactly like an egg would. I’ll oftentimes add about a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to oatmeal, and it definitely thickens it, but it does not “gel” or “solidify” unless I let it sit or put leftover in the refrigerator or something.

I’ve made matzo balls with it and it works wonderfully! Make sure not to overcook them as they get a bit slimy on the outside. But otherwise, works like a charm and adds a delicious earthiness and body to the dish.

Love, love, love your website and your recipes!! My sensitivities clash with a few things, so brave ‘ole me has decided to start my own blog. It’s people like you that inspire me!! I’m linking this page to a berry avocado muffin recipe so that my followers will have a vegan option!! Blog on!! ;P

Can this be used as a “binding” agent for breading? I have a vegan boyfriend and I like to cook more vegan for him and I would like to bread and fry some vegetables like my mom’s old chicken nugget recipe but I am having some trouble finding a vegan substitute for the egg.

Ps: I am in love with your site. Your vegan recipes and hacks are so great and much simpler than other sites I have seen. Thank you.

I made a no-chicken nugget recipe and it was the first time I made a flax egg as a batter for the nuggets. This recipe used a bit of flour in their flax egg too. We used coconut flour. It made an amazing batter that the bread crumbs stuck to perfectly!

No, cauliflower wings. Google “cauliflower 65” for the Indian version of this (they have chicken 65 etc). The 65 in the name there are different explanations for, one being that the original resaurant where the dish was invented, was in some street #65, one was that the chef was 65 etc… I just love it, it is amazing how much it tastes like chicken! They always fry it though, I have just baked mine. Also made the batter less hot, if I used that much spice, I wouldn’t be able to eat it…

I am so happy I discover your blog and certainly I ‘ll try some recipes. Have you ever tryed tangzhong bread you can skip milk eggs and butter so do I for a soft and fluffy bread or buns. Many greetings from Italy.

Hi, I enjoy using flax eggs and thought I would share this; if you make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hrs or over night it becomes congealed, and provides a better binder. I have used it with making doughnuts, pancakes and many others. :)

Hi i was wondering can i make scrabble eggs. My daughter cant eat and she dont like the tofu eggs. We stop buying eggs in the house because of her. My husband cooked the tofu eggs, we like it but she didnt. Can we fry the flaxseed

What a lovely surprise as I stumbled upon your flax egg recipe tonite!! As a Vegan Dedicated to ANIMALS, I am always looking for recipes that cause NO HARM to our Animal Friends! Thank u! Kathy Little Brinson

What harm does eating an egg do to the chcken!? The chicken makes the egg, lays the egg and then the egg has nothing more to do with her! Not eating the chicken is one thing. Not eating the eggs she supplies doesn’t make sense.

Because many chickens are horribly mistreated in egg production is one reason. Another is that some of us simply don’t believe in using animals in any way for food or clothing. And there are other reasons as well.

Sandra,
Research factory farming for chickens. The chickens are kept in small cages. They get no natural sunlight, their breaks are torn off and no space to spread their wings, all of this torture simply for the mass production of eggs for humans to consume.

Another part of the egg industry is chick culling. Chick culling is the process of killing newly hatched poultry for which the industry has no use for. Specifically, it is the male chicks that have no use, therefore, the male chicks get thrown onto a conveyor belt and ground up alive.

I veganized my traditional carrot cake recipe yesterday. This is my go to carrot cake recipe so I’ve made it many times, but usually I only sub up to half for eggs for flax eggs. The recipe calls for 4 eggs, so I used 4 flax eggs yesterday. Unfortunately it didn’t rise well and was too moist and a little gummy in the center despite baking it for a few minutes longer. Any tips?

Thanks for the flax egg. I am also experimenting with chia seeds for similar use including thickening cooked fruit and batters. Must rinse chia seeds though as I have found grit in most sources even when marked clean.

Just made these cuz I had 3 brown bananas that needed to be used but I was a little disappointed with the results :( The muffins came out a very dark brown… I used raw sugar instead of brown sugar, could that be why they are so dark? They also have a kind of bitter taste to them, but I cooked them for 20 minutes so they shouldn’t be burned…Help :(

Thank you! I just tried a chocolate chess pie earlier using oil, water, and baking powder but it was soup in a pie crust ?. Second try I used the flax seed, but also added a few teaspoons of the commercial egg replacer hoping the combo would work. It looks like it worked. About to try another one.

Today, I used this to make some vegan yeasted crepes with whole wheat flour. Honestly, I thought it would work a lot better than it did. Batter was too runny and took hours to rise, though I followed instructions to a T – the only change being the egg substitute. The crepes simply fell apart on the skillet. I think I’ll be sticking with my usual vegan egg sub – half a mashed banana.

I used this recipe as an “egg wash” for some bagels. I let the mixture sit, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes while prepping other ingredients. It worked out very well and my toppings stuck to the bagels perfectly! Thanks.

If my recipe calls for two large eggs (at least 114 grams of egg since one large is 57 grams), could I simply replace it with the same weight in flax egg? I know it’s not an exact 1:1 switch. Do you happen to have a ratio for a large egg?

I plan on making corn bread using a box mix. Trader Joe’s to be exact. Can I sub the large egg I normally use for the flax egg? Should I use more for a large egg? My granddaughter is Vegan and I want her to be able to eat it. Thanks in advance! Your blog has been very helpful.

Easy Peasy! I got a coffee/herb grinder for christmas and only use it for grinding my fresh flax seeds as I need them. I can’t live without it! Thanks for another easy recipe, and for making our plant based life such an easy transition!

I wouldn’t recommend making flax eggs in bulk, and would suggest making it fresh each time you are baking. I always make my eggs at the start of a recipe. That way, I can get them in the fridge, and then work through the other steps while the flax eggs set. Hope this helps!

Comment Policy: We do our best to respond particularly on new recipes, but don’t have the ability to respond to every comment. The most useful comments include feedback and ratings on the recipe, ingredients you modified, or helping other commenters. Insults and disrespectful comments are not accepted. Please do not include links not pertinent to the discussion.

For common substitutions and frequently asked questions, check out our Recipe FAQ and shop.

Comment

Your email address will not be published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Rate this recipe (after you've made it):

I Made this

I Have a Question

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. You will not be subscribed to our newsletter list.

Rate this recipe (after you've made it):

Hello! We share plant-based recipes requiring 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare. All eaters are welcome.